There are a number of different foodstuffs that are provided in sealed containers which have a removable cap that can be remounted to reseal the container. Some of these containers are used to contain manufactured potato chips. As many have experienced, when eating various brands of potato chips which are packaged in this manner, the relatively small tubular size used to laterally contain the potato chips in a stacked configuration is relatively small in diameter and this makes it difficult to manually extract the chips after a portion have been previously removed.
Another problem many people encounter with containers is that as the chips are removed and what becomes the top chip recedes downwardly, the chips become increasingly difficult to grasp. This leads to shaking of the container and upsetting it to obtain the contents. This results in breakage of the chips and then the broken chips are usually poured out onto one's hand and small pieces of the potato chips pass through the hand and onto the floor. This also requires the person eating the last of the chips to hold his or her hand to their mouth. Some might consider this poor etiquette or poor manners. Others just find it sloppy and messy.
Such problems may also exist with other products to an extent that the tubular containers are not favored by the manufacturer. Such products might include corn chips, cookies, crackers, dough, other food items, or even non-food items.
Prior attempts to address these problems have been to shorten the height of the containers. This improves access to some degree, but significantly increases the costs associated with packaging. For example, one company well-known for this type of packaging for potato chips has come out with a six-pack of small containers which are short enough to allow easy access. However, each of these reduced size packages has to be filled, safety sealed and provided with an individual cap and canister. This is demonstrative of the level of ordinary skill in this art. Other approaches may also have been attempted, but to date none has fully addressed the problems to the complete satisfaction of consumers. Concerns about these issues have been expressed for many years to those choosing to package products in this manner. Some manufacturers have not adopted this type of product and packaging because of consumer frustration over the breakage of the theoretically “perfect” potato or other chip or foodstuff.
Thus, there has been a long-felt need in the container art for an inexpensive, and/or manually operated dispensing container that provides better access to remove products or product pieces held in a tubular or other suitably shaped container. This need has been particularly acute where the contents are preferably removed by first removing a container cap which is used to seal the container and protect the sealed contents after such contents have been dispensed.
Some or all of the problems explained above and other problems may be helped or solved by the inventions shown and described herein. Such inventions may also be used to address other problems not set out above or which develop or are appreciated at a later time. The future may also bring to light unknown or currently unappreciated benefits which may be in the future be recognized or appreciated from the novel inventions shown and described herein.